Tag Archive: archetypes

The phases of the Moon represent the cycles of time itself. From these cycles, all time flows. From the biggest to the smallest scales, as a fractal, all things flow according to these cycles. The image of Tao, with its yin and yang, represent the flowing of this process. You can see the cycles in the Trigrams of the I Ching. The Waxing Moon, as the moon is growing, represents the increase of yang-energy. The Waning Moon represents the increasing yin-energy.

The I Ching trigram is a diagram of the flowing of the times, the seasons, the play of energy-essences. The solid line represents yang-energy, and the split line represents yin-energy. Here is a key to interpretation. The bottom line represents self-expression, as in the subject The top line represents the object, as in object of awareness. The middle line represents the meeting of the subject and object, the verb, activity. In the first sentence of trigram interpretation, I will break down the meaning of each line of the trigram according to the structure bottom-middle-top.

Earth: yin-yin-yin: No self-expression, nothing to do, nothing to observe
This represents the Dark Moon and the New Moon. Notice the total yin-energy, ‘darkness,’ silence. It represents a sort of extreme passivity, or acceptance of all. Since is the transition point linking the end point and the beginning point, this is the ultimate complexity. This means that the yin, feminine, Goddess is technically more primary, or ultimate.

Thunder: yang-yin-yin: Self-expression, nothing to do, nothing to observe
Waxing crescent moon, occurs in the beginning of the process of increasing visibility, amount of light. The yang energy is beginning its ascent. Life is beginning to flower. It represents an inner passion. A territorial sense, desiring freedom of movement and expression. beginning of the ‘God’ chasing the ‘Goddess,’ the masculine principle

Water: yin-yang-yin: No self-expression, activity, nothing to observe
Waxing Half Moon, of increasing light. Immersion into reality. When doing something, there is only that doing. When writing, just writing.

Mountain: yin-yin-yang: No self-expression, no activity, something to observe
Waxing Gibbous moon, nearing complete light. In awe of the magnificence of what is naturally there. Awareness.

Heaven: yang-yang-yang: Self-expression, activity, something to observe
Perfect unity. Personal preferences guide actions, and it fits perfectly with the situation you are in, and the people, who are in full agreement.

So this is the basic pattern through which time travels. These are the ‘seasons’ of nature and life. This process and these elements are the source of all mythology, rituals, and general compulsions. At any scale of time, or any scale in space, range of influence, reality functions through this essential process.

There are four layers of the one mind, the one consciousness. By descending through these four levels, you eventually get material reality from the realm of infinity. The Jewish Qabalists called these layers the four worlds. They are, truly, as four realms of existence. I will explain these four worlds, including the qabalistic names for them, as well as some correspondences to elucidate the meaning. Note that these exist in a wide-scale, as in the creation of the entire universe. Yet, simultaneously, it is possible to note this process occurring within yourself. The entire pattern, or process, of creation is going on within yourself, right now. You must simply learn to become aware of the process as it occurs.

In order from deepest level to most surface level…

1. Qabalists called this the world of atzilut, meaning ‘eminated from,’ as in eminated from the Infinite. This is also called the archetypal world. It represents the collective unconscious, the sum of all the archetypes, the shared, essential elements of experience. This is a masculine principle; it represents stillness. This is because it does not change. This is the Y of the tetragrammaton, most holy name of god in the hebrew tradition: YHWH.

This is yud, ‘Y’

2. This is called the world of b’riah, creation. This represents the soul. Alternatively, this represents the individual subconscious. This is one individual arrangement of the archetypes. This represents the feminine principle. It is the first H of the tetragrammaton.This is heh, ‘H’

This is called yitzirah, the world of formation. It is said that in this world, concrete plans of creation are made, concrete steps to manifestation. It is also said that emotional involvement occurs at this stage. This represents the conscious mind. It is the essential premise, or assumption, behind any experience. It is the imminent potential for experience, or perception. You could also say this represents the ‘medium’ behind Marshall McLuhan’s famous phrase, “The medium is the message.” This is the W of the tetragrammaton.This is vav, originally ‘waw,’ W.

4. This is called the world of assiyah, action. This represents physical reality, material existence. It is called ‘The Kingdom.’ At this level there is apparently total independence. This is the ultimate goal, or purpose, of creation. This is the ego. It manifests as external ‘things,’ or as self-driven actions. It is the message in McLuhan’s “The medium is the message.” This is the 2nd H of YHWH.

This is the tetractys, mystical shape of Pythagoreas. It is represented using the four letters of YHWH, though. The top point represents the first world, the collective unconscious, and working your way down is working your way towards the most surface level of consciousness. Notice how the letter of each of the worlds is added onto the existing one each level down, but the existing letter remains. This is because the influence of the previous ‘letter,’ or world, or level of consciousness, continues to have its impact on each level down. And yet it moves more into the background at that level.

For things to flow smoothly, efficiently, and desirably, each level must have a trust in the level above it. This is because any given level is a limited selection of the options presented at the higher level. Ego is a selection, an identification, of the possibilities generated by the essential premise of the conscious mind. Similarly, the premise of the conscious mind is a singular manifestation of the wider pattern of elements that is the individual sub-conscious. The individual subconscious is one possible arrangement of the archetypes, the elements in the collective unconscious. By definition, then, no level can ever know more than, or even as much as, the level above it. Thus if one acts without trusting the level above, confusion inevitably follows.